Notes, summaries, assignments, exams, and problems for Social sciences

The Second Republic (I)

The Establishment of the Republic

The Second Republic was proclaimed, and a provisional government called an election. It was formed by:

• Republicans
• Socialists
• Nationalists

This election gave a majority to the left-wing parties, who were tasked with writing a new constitution. The Constitution of 1931 was highly advanced, establishing:

• Freedom of expression and association
• Popular sovereignty
• Universal suffrage, including women

It also recognized:

• Divorce
• Separation between church and state
• Regional autonomy

After it was passed, Niceto Alcalá-Zamora was elected the first president, and Manuel Azaña became the Prime Minister. The Republic passed through three phases:

1. A two-year period of reforms (bienio reformista)
2. A two-year period

Post-1880 US Immigration: Causes and Destinations

Who Immigrated?

• Southern and Eastern Europeans
• Fleeing persecution and governmental problems

Where Did They Settle?

• Primarily in major cities for job opportunities
• Rarely in rural areas

Why Did They Come?

• Urbanization in the U.S.
• Promise of religious freedom in the U.S.
• Economic problems in Southern and Eastern Europe
• Abundant factory jobs in the U.S.
• U.S. recruitment and contract labor opportunities
• Perceived U.S. spirit of tolerance for immigrants

The Progressive Movement: Aims and Reforms

Aims of the Progressives

• To end corruption in government and business
• To address issues from the Gilded Age
• To improve the nation's social and economic conditions

Methods and Reforms

Federal Reforms

• 16^th Amendment (Income Tax)

Globalization and Globalism

Globalization is the increasing interconnectedness of people across countries, while globalism refers to the fluctuating level and extent of these connections. Globalism, therefore, is a key component of globalization, constantly evolving based on the specific type of linkage. The authors identify four distinct forms of globalism:

Economic Globalism

This involves international trade, the flow of jobs across borders (e.g., scientists conducting research abroad or relocated customer service centers), and international investment.

Military Globalism

Countries with limited military capabilities form alliances with stronger military powers. This often involves establishing military bases or defense agreements.

Environmental

Major EU Treaties and Programs

Treaty of Paris (1951): established the European Coal and Steel Community. Treaty of Rome (1957): it constituted the European Economic Community, or Common Market, whose main objectives were the free movement of people, goods, services and capital and the Customs Union. Treaty on European Union (Maastricht Treaty, 1992): created the European Union and established economic and monetary union, common foreign and security policies, and cooperation in judicial and domestic matters. Creation of the euro (1999): the single currency came into circulation in 2002 in the majority of EU countries. Treaty of Lisbon (2007): it gave greater power to the European Parliament and allows for more participation of national parliaments... Continue reading "EU Treaties, Funds and Citizenship: Key Milestones" »

Comparative Politics

Study and evaluation of similarities and differences between political systems.

State

Political organization, institution for government, possessing sovereignty and territory.

Nation

Group of people united by fundamental characteristics.

Nationalism

Belief by a nation that it can be a state.

Nation-State

Borders coincide with a particular nation.

Territoriality

Unit has a certain geographic perimeter.

Sovereignty

State is supreme within its own borders.

Internal Control

Monopoly on the use of legitimate violence.

External Autonomy

Not subservient to any other state.

De Facto

Empirical.

De Jure

Juridical.

Three Worlds

System of classifying states.

First World

Liberal democracy.

Second World

Communist.

Third World

Not powerful enough to fit in other

Mass Production and Mass Consumption

• Mass Production and Consumption: Under the requirement of high-output mass production, labor received higher incomes to support a mass consumption market.
• The Symbolic $5 Day: Henry Ford used high salaries to enable workers to become potential customers of the products they manufactured.

Impacts on Labor

• Worker Alienation: Increased fatigue and the definition of the worker as a mere component of the machine.
• Workplace Reform: From the 1940s, alienation in the labor process was attributed to surging strikes in the U.S. automobile industry.
• QWL Programs: Quality of Working Life programs introduced worker participation, including joint committees, task forces, and problem-solving groups.
• Unionized Labor: Welfare benefits

World Bank Profile

The World Bank Group is a United Nations institution that provides loans to developing countries for capital programs. It was created as a result of the Bretton Woods Conference, came into formal existence in 1945, and approved its first loan in 1947 to help France deal with post-war reconstruction. The primary mission of the World Bank is to reduce poverty and provide economic development. The activities of the organization are focused on developing countries, specifically in fields such as:

• Human rights development (including education and health)
• Agriculture development
• Environmental protection
• Infrastructure
• Legal institutions development

Currently, there are 188 member states and each member has one representative on the Board

English Language Vocabulary

Common Nouns

• Reliance
• Employer
• Employment
• Experiment
• Population
• Scanner
• Amusement
• Assistance
• Belief
• Trainer
• Darkness
• Attraction
• Exhaustion
• Retirement
• Promotion
• Responsibility
• Conservation
• Accommodation
• Knowledge
• Admission
• Advertisement
• Annoyance
• Approval
• Arrangement
• Arrival
• Assumption
• Improvement
• Application
• Argument
• Brilliance
• Payment
• Disappointment
• Relief
• Departure
• Isolation
• Denial
• Friendship
• Boredom
• Proposal
• Strength
• Loyalty
• Illness
• Allowance
• Marriage
• Censorship
• Success
• Complaint
• Achievement
• Comedian
• Childhood
• Failure
• Proof
• Punishment

Useful Adjectives

• Payable
• Preceptive
• Pleasurable
• Successful
• Supportive
• Suspicious
• Safe
• Resistant
• Shameless
• Sleepy
• Mechanical
• Moral
• Mysterious
• Courageous
• Creative
• Cruel
• Changeable
• Childish
• Civil
• Golden
• Avoidable
• Able
• Accidental
• Curious
• Additional
• Adequate
• Admirable
• Affectionate
• Alcoholic
• Anxious
• Advantageous
• Productive
• Proud
• Protective
• Punctual
• Pure
• Famous
• Faulty
• Forgetful
• Meaningful
• Less
• Excited
• Fashionable
• Fortunate
• Fit
• Comic
• Responsible

Global

1.5.1. Frederick W. Taylor

Frederick W. Taylor emphasized the need to apply the scientific method in management and administration, especially in the workshop.

The novelty he introduced lay in overseeing the work at all levels of the company, where everything is organized and planned with a view to maximum productivity.

Any industrial organization inspired by Frederick Taylor focuses not only on the study of the relationship between the worker and modern production techniques but also on achieving maximum efficiency from tools and manpower.

No one can speak of the classical theory without mentioning Taylor's traditionalism: Scientific Management.

Taylor was born in Philadelphia, U.S., in 1856; his parents were middle class. He worked as a journeyman,... Continue reading "Frederick Taylor and Henry Fayol: Scientific Management Principles" »

The Linguistic Legacy

• According to the linguist Tom McArthur, “Old English and present-day English are as different from one another as Classical Latin and present-day French.”
• Basic tools of English—this, the, that, I, me, him, it—are of Anglo-Saxon origin.
• About 90% of the commonest words in English are of Anglo-Saxon origin.

What Were the Anglo-Saxons Like?

Insights from the 7th-century burial site at Sutton Hoo in Suffolk:

• Drinking vessels (glass and horn)
• Byzantine silver
• French coins in a purse
• Sword, shield, helmet: indicating high-status warriors.

The Laws of Aethelberht of Kent (7th Century AD)

Why are These Laws Important?

• What language did Aethelberht’s scribes choose? Why is this surprising?
• The Laws of Aethelberht are a compilation,